Clip and hook assemblies are known to be used in the manufacture of handbags and wallets. The clips and hooks are employed to hold objects within these devices or to secure the devices to clothing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,435,704 to Fisher discloses a handbag provided with an interior pocket in which a watch is hung.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,117,989 to Ryan discloses a handbag key retainer which consists of a hook mounted to the inside of a handbag and which is supported by pins extending through the wall of the handbag from an ornament at the exterior thereof. The hook holds a key in the upper part of the handbag.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,259,204 to Fulton discloses a key hold for the inside of a handbag. The key hold consists of a plate mounted to the interior wall of the handbag from which depend hooks to receive keys.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,272,854 to Sloane et al. discloses a combined handbag and key holder having handbag frame members which are hingedly interconnected. A pin is secured in a hollow rivet disposed through one of the hinges. The pin has an end extending to the interior of the bag and from which a one-piece member with an upwardly bent tongue portion is disposed to engage a ring or chain element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,315 To Foley discloses a device for carrying valuables which consists of a container having one end with an aperture therethrough, and a hanger support member movably mounted within the container and having an end which extends through the aperture to be connected to a flexible and resilient clip at the exterior of the container. The hanger and support member are movable between extended and retracted positions, i.e. in an extended position the clip may be positioned over a pants hemline, while in the retracted position the clip will engage an adjacent portion of a pocket of a coat. A snap-type connector at the interior of the container releasably connects a snap-type connector on the support member to maintain the support member in the retracted position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,086 To O'Neill discloses a wallet for joggers which includes a detachable hook member, a portion of which is received in a slit opening in a panel of the wallet while an adjacent portion of the hook is detachably secured to the back panel of the wallet by velcro.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,372 To Santilli discloses a pocket organizer which includes a cover sheet wrapped around a plurality of envelopes which share a common seam and which are secured together along the seam by a clip. The clip has a C-shaped end portion and another leg portion adapted to be resiliently retained beneath the end of the C-shaped portion., A biased prong presses against the leg portion to confine the contents in the envelopes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,199 To Wise discloses a wallet with a removable three-legged spring clip, the first leg inserted into the bottom of an exterior pocket on the wallet, the second leg spring-biased against the first leg to hold the clip onto the wallet, and the third leg spring-biased against the second leg to hold the wallet onto the wearer's waistband. Wise discloses the prior art to include a billfold with a clip having an inner leg stamped to form a pair of upward pointing barbs along its edges which is inserted into the pocket at the side of the billfold. The barbs catch on the wallet material inside the pocket to hold the clip in place. The outer leg is clipped over a wearer's waistband.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,903,745 and 5,103,884 to Roman each disclose a wallet with a removable clip wherein the wallet includes a patch secured to the outside surface of the wallet. Slots are provided at each end of a pocket formed by the patch. A backplate of the clip is removably inserted into the pocket through the slots.
Among these devices, there is no disclosure of a clip constructed to be removably mounted to a flexible pocket- or pouch-like container, the clip constructed with a front portion having a barb to engage the fabric of a wearer's garment and to resist movement of the fabric when it is engaged between the barb and the flexible container.
There is also no disclosure of flexible pocket-like container having in combination a retaining strip and detachable fastening means mounted to the wall in the pocket of the flexible container to coact with the clip as called for in the present invention.
The combination retaining strip and detachable fastening means of the present invention permit the clip to be removably mounted to the container so that movement of the container with respect to the wearer is substantially reduced, if not eliminated, thereby permitting the container and wallet to be carried in a more comfortable manner.
There is no disclosure in the known devices of providing the pocket-like container with a central compartment which has a watertight closure thereby permitting use of the wallet in wet environments and preventing ingress of the elements to the central compartment.